The Shangai Gold Exchange plans to start bullion trading in the city’s free-trade zone on Sept. 26, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.

The people asked not to be identified because they aren’t authorized to speak to the media. Gu Wenshuo, a spokesman for the exchange, confirmed that the trading system is being tested, without giving further details.Shanghai wants to become a regional bullion-trading hub, giving foreigners access to the world’s largest physical-gold market, Xu Luode, the exchange’s chairman, told a conference in Singapore in June.The gold contract will be priced and settled in yuan and the infrastructure is in place for trading to start in the third quarter, Xu said in June. The zone will have a vault capable of holding 1,500 metric tons of gold, which can either be imported into China or be in transit to other markets, Xu said.China is seeking to open up its bullion markets just as domestic demand weakens. Consumption contracted 19 percent in the first six months of the year, according to the China Gold Association. Bullion of 99.99 percent purity traded on the Shanghai Gold Exchange climbed 8.7 percent this year, damping demand which reached a record in 2013.Link - http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-18/shanghai-gold-exchange-said-to-plan-ftz-contract-for-sept.html?cmpid=yhoo